A European Battle

“Your struggle is the struggle of the European Union. We must encourage all countries to pursue commitment for legality, to fight against the mafias and organized crime”: Hans-Gert Poettering, Presidemt of the EU Parliament, supports the campaign of Flare (Freedom Legality and Rights in Europe, the first international network of civil society for the struggle against organized crime) and of Libera. Active citizenship. Poettering intervened on March 24 at a meeting with 150 young people from 30 countries, who came to Strasbourg led by Rev. Luigi Ciotti, the Italian priest who fouded Libera. Flare and Libera are leading a “caravan” that left Naples March 21 and will travel through Europe for 30 days in 30 cities bringing the messages of respect for law, the safeguarding of rights, civil cohabitation and justice. “Yours is a commitment that requires courage”, Poettering added. “You are an example of the active citizenship needed by Europe, because we wish to promote common values and rights”. Poettering declared his willingness to support the requests of Flare: a European Community directive providing for the confiscation of the estates of criminals and their donation for social use. In fact, a group of MEPs deposited a written declaration in Parliament which requests, among other things, “that March 21 be declared the European day of memory of the victims of mafias and for a commitment to fight against these mafias”. The EU Commission and Council were asked “to create legislation aimed at the re cycling for social use of the estates and capital confiscated from criminal organizations”. Education for law and order. “I thank President Poettering, for his support in this action against transnational crime. His encouragement, for us and for these young people, is truly important. The same thank goes to the many parliamentarians who are helping us in this commitment. The confiscation of the estates of the mafias is an essential step in the path towards legality and towards the achievement of social justice, which is our first true and great objective”. Rev. Luigi Ciotti explains to SirEurope his presence in Strasbourg and that of the young people from so many countries. “To combat crime we need the commitment of the institutions, of the political and police forces. But on a deeper level, we need an educational commitment launched by young people, which will involve us all. We must realize that the mafias have penetrated into the depths of society in all European countries. They direct the traffic of drugs, of human beings and of prostitution. The mafia also invades the system of businesses by lending recycled money and imposing usury on businessmen and entire families. Mafia also means illegal work, extortion…. We can no longer react only on local and national levels, but must work transnationally, across the borders between States”.Testimony from Russia. Rev. Ciotti adds: “We have received beautiful testimonies from all over Europe. Young people want to know more in order to work for the goals of citizenship and co-responsibility”. But is there not a danger, today, of harming individual freedoms and rights in the name of the struggle against crime and for the security of people? “Yes, this risk does exist”, Ciotti replies to SIR. “But we must promote the idea that respect for law cannot be separated from actions of solidarity. I am thinking of foreigners, of the poor, of the social strata of the emarginated….”. Ilya Politkovskaya, son of Anna Politkovskaya, the journalist killed in Russia, also delivered a message in Strasbourg. “In my country”, he says, “there is no law providing for the confiscation of the estates of the mafia, and yet this is problem is quite widespread” and goes hand in hand with “corruption”. “In our country not much is said with regard to these problems. Not even newspapers discuss them and therefore public opinion is not aroused. “I am part of this family”. “One month ago, all the accused, in the trial regarding the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, were set free. In Russia many people say we have lost the case. But we intend to continue”. Karinna Moskalenko is the lawyer of the family of the Russian journalist who has become a symbol of the war in Chechnya and, more generally, of the struggle for legality on an international level. Moskalenko too is traveling with the Caravan of Libera and Flare, because “we believe that it is not possible to remain silent about injustice. We have come to Strasbourg also to make an appeal to the Court of the Rights of Man asking that they intervene in the case of Politkovskaya. In order to obtain justice, it is necessary that investigations be conducted with required efficiency, and this was not done”. Karinna Moskalenko believes “The Russian authorities killed Anna. Her story has penetrated within me. I am no longer just the lawyer of her family, I am part of her family. This case has changed me and I will proceed until justice is done. In this sense, our struggle flanks that of Flare, for legality and against all the mafias of Europe”.